School News
Classroom Awards
Congratulations to the following students for receiving classroom awards: Francis, Etta, Henry, Storm, Thristan, Harper, Erin, Claire, Olive, 5A Preps, 5B Preps, River, Axel, Harrison, Mikayla, Dylan, Ben
Music Award
Congratulations Erin for receiving this week's Music Award.
Sports Award
Congratulations Claire for receiving this week's Sporting Award.
Meet the Teacher Chats
Our 2023 Meet the Teacher Chats with classroom teachers will take place on Wednesday 22nd February.
Meet the Teacher Chats are an opportunity for you to have a chat with your child's teacher and discuss student goals in Term One, students are encouraged to also be present.
These meetings will be for 10 minutes and will be held in your child’s studio commencing at 12:10 pm until 6:00 pm. You will need to book a time on the Compass Portal in Conferences.
School will finish at 11:40am for all students at Kyneton Primary School on this day. Buses will not be running at this early time so bus travellers will need to make other arrangements. The canteen will NOT be open on this day.
If you have any queries, please contact your child’s teacher or the office. If you have a matter you would like to discuss with a specialist teacher please email that teacher to arrange a booking time –
ART – Nathan MOUNTFORD – Nathan.Mountford@education.vic.gov.au
FRENCH – Sherry VARGA – Sherry.Varga@education.vic.gov.au
MUSIC – Polly CHRISTIE – Polly.Christie@education.vic.gov.au
PHYSICAL EDUCATION – Kirk ANSTEE – Kirk.Anstee@education.vic.gov.au
2023 Swimming Program
Information has been sent home regarding our 2023 swimming program which starts on 27th February 2022 for students in Years 1-6.
Foundation students will participate in the swimming program in Term 2 and further information will follow closer to the date for these families.
Please pay and consent on Compass but also return the Pink Assessment page. We must have this completed and return by next Friday 17th February.
If you have a credit or CSEF please select this payment option in Compass or contact the office.
Classroom News
Breakfast Club is Back
Breakfast Club is back and VOLUNTEERS ARE NEEDED.
We are in need of wonderful parent helpers to assist us in getting Breakfast Club back up and running! At this stage we will be able to provide toast 2 mornings a week, however, if we get enough volunteers and assistance then we can do this for the students every day!
What is required:
- 30-40 minutes of your time in the morning. 8:30am – 9:10am
- The love of buttering toast with vegemite and honey
- Toasting skills
- Must be a morning person!
Breakfast is a great way to give the body the refuelling it needs. Kids who eat breakfast tend to eat healthier overall and are more likely to be physically active! Skipping breakfast can make kids feel tired, restless, or irritable. In the morning, their bodies need to refuel for the day ahead. Their mood and energy can drop by mid-morning if they don't eat something for breakfast.Special thanks to Ash from Bakers Delight who is generously donating the bread! If you can email Michelle at michelle.thompson4@education.vic.gov.au to let me know if you are available to assist.
Thank you!
Michelle Thompson
Mental Health and Wellbeing Teacher/Learning Specialist
Year 6 Polo Shirts Have Arrived
Payment of all ordered items must be made in full before uniforms will be available for collection. Payments methods available are:
- Direct Deposit
BSB No: 063000Acc No: 14033609 - Please use the student’s name as the reference.
- EFTPOS via telephone
- Payment in person at the school office
Once payments are received the uniforms will be sent home with students. Thank you.
School Gates and Opening Times
Just a few reminders and potentially new information for our new families. In the morning all gates will be open for access to the school site at 8:45 as this is when staff supervision in the yard commences. No students are allowed onsite until this time.
In the afternoon all gates will be open at 3:15 for access to the school site. Access to the office during the school day is via the pedestrian gate on Edgecombe St.
* Please do not access the school site at any time via the staff car park for safety
reasons.
* Please do not park in the kinder carpark unless it is your kinder day and you are a kinder family.
Canteen Update
We can confirm that the canteen will open again next Tuesday 14th February 2023.
The length of the canteen closure proved to be a much longer period than initially anticipated and we thank all our families for your patience and understanding during this time. It is unfortunate that Trish Heseltine, our canteen manager, has had to make the decision to resign due to ill health. We thank Trish for her time with us and wish her the very best for the future.
As previously advised Lyn West, our previous canteen manager, and Maxine Eason will operate the canteen on a shared basis while this position is advertised and filled. We thank Lyn and Maxine for stepping in to get our canteen operating again.
We would also like to sincerely thank Subway and Super Sushi for supporting us during the time of the canteen closure. With very little notice, and for a much longer period than we had originally thought, both these businesses willingly provided their services.
Subway orders will continue to be available every Monday using the Flexischools app and sushi orders will continue to be available to order through our Qkr! app Tuesday – Friday as part of our school canteen menu.
In order for our canteen to operate successfully we need your help. We require two volunteer helpers of a Friday from 11:30 am – 2:15 pm. If you can help please contact the office or email kyneton.ps@education.vic.gov.au
The canteen will not operate on Wednesday 22nd February when school finishes at 11:40 am for our Meet the Teacher Chats.
Please see below attachments for the Canteen Menu, Qkr! and Flexischools Fact Sheets and Canteen Helpers Sheet
Parent Payments
Thank you to the families who have paid the $130 Parent Payment.
These funds are used for –
- Curriculum Contributions – items and activities that students use, or participate in, to access the Curriculum.
- Other Contributions – for non-curriculum items and activities such as memberships, subscriptions to programs and affiliations.
- Extra Curricular Items – the Kyneton Primary School Yearbook
If you would still like to pay for these please use one of the following methods -
- EFT - at the office or by phone
- Cash - at the office
- Direct Bank Transfer - BSB 063-000 Account No 14033609 - use your child’s name as the reference
- BPay - contact the school office for your personalised identification details
- Centrepay - use of this method is available to recipients of Centrelink payments
Please do not hesitate to contact the office for more information or for any other query you may have.
School Books and Stationery Packs
Maxim Office Group have left access to their online ordering system open until the end of February for those families that have not yet ordered.
Please follow this link: http://www.maxim.booklists.com.au
Your access code is: KYNEPS
*Please note this is capital sensitive. Please enter code as displayed in screen.
Thank you to the very generous families that have made purchases for those families that have not been able to make a purchase for their child.
2023 Uniform
School uniforms are available for purchase online direct from A Plus Schoolwear www.aplusschoolwear.com.au
When ordering uniforms please put the studio number of your child for easier delivery.
Once uniforms arrive at school they will be sent home with your child.
Camps, Sports and Excursions Fund (CSEF) applications
The Camps, Sports and Excursions Fund helps eligible families to cover the costs of school trips, camps and sporting activities.
If you have a valid means-tested concession card, such as a Veterans Affairs Gold Card, Centrelink Health Care Card or Pensioner Concession Card, or are a temporary foster parent, you may be eligible. There is also a special consideration category for asylum seeker and refugee families.
Payment amounts this year are $125 for eligible primary school students. Payments are made direct to the school to use towards expenses relating to camps, excursions and sporting activities for the benefit of your child.
If you have previously applied for CSEF through our school last year, you do not need to complete an application form this year, unless there has been a change in your family circumstances.
If you would like to apply for the first time, please complete the attached form or call the office to request a form.
Please return completed forms to the school office as soon as possible. A copy of the form is attached below. We will require a copy of your valid health care card with the application.
Hats required in Term 1
In line with our Sun Safe policy children are required to wear the school uniform wide brimmed or bucket hats when playing outside in Term 1 and Term 4. Please ensure your child brings their hat to school every day for outside play.
Hats are $11 and available to purchase from our uniform supplier AGS Prints or from the school office.
Contact Details
There are times when we will need to contact you during a school day. It is important we have your most up to date contact details on file.
Please update these on Compass or email the school at kyneton.ps@education.vic.gov.au so we can update our records. Please include parent/carers’ name, address, phone numbers, email address and emergency contact details.
Student Attendance
If your child is sick or absent, you are required to notify the school as soon as possible on the day of absence, by logging your child’s absence using our school’s Parental Portal in Compass.
Notifying the school of your child’s absence either prior to, or on the day that they will be away, helps ensure the safety and wellbeing of children and will fulfil your legal responsibility.
Victorian government schools are required to contact parents/carers as soon as practicable on the same day of an unexplained student absence. If your child is absent on a particular day and you have not contacted the school to explain why, the absence will be marked as unexplained. It is a DET requirement that we have a reason for each child's absence.
This system also promotes daily school attendance. Going to school every day is the single most important part of your child’s education, they learn new things every day – missing school puts them behind.
The Kyneton Primary School Attendance Policy which outlines the school’s processes and procedures for monitoring, recording and following-up of student absences is available on our website www.kynetonprimaryschool.com.au
Students Arriving Late
Students arriving late to school should come to the office, accompanied by an adult, and sign in either on the Compass Kiosk or in the late book. They will then be issued a late pass to take to class and their arrival at school will be updated on the roll. This will avoid parents/guardians receiving notification that their child is not at school when they have arrived late.
Accessing Compass
Compass is our main way of communicating with our families. It is important that parents access the Parental Portal in Compass at https://kynetonps.vic.jdlf.com.au
Using our parent portal will enable you to –
- View up-to-date class and school attendance information
- Approve or enter upcoming or past absences for your son/daughter
- Update your registered email and mobile number (used for SMS alters)
- Access information regarding upcoming events and news
- Access your child’s Semester Reports
- Book your Parent/Student/Teacher conferences
We encourage families to download the Compass App and to enable notification to ensure you receive all communications.
Please click on the “Welcome to Compass” booklets for further assistance or contact the office.
COVID-19 Reminder
Dear KPS Community
The latest COVID-19 Advice for schools arrived yesterday. Below is a summary of the most important pieces of information.
COVIDSafe measures for schools
COVIDSafe measures have changed but all Victorian government schools are required to continue to implement important practices to reduce the risk of COVID-19 transmission. Schools must continue to take the important steps of ensuring air purifiers are in use, external ventilation is maximised, good personal hygiene is encouraged and face masks continue to be made available for staff, students and visitors who wish to wear them.
Rapid antigen testing
It is recommended that rapid antigen tests (RATs) are used by students and staff:
- If you have symptoms of COVID-19 infection, no matter how mild
- If you are a household or close contact of someone who has COVID-19
- If you are a social contact of someone who has COVID-19.
The Department of Health recommends that all Victorians should report their positive RAT result to the Department of Health online, or by calling 1800 675 398.Students (or their parents) should also report a positive result to their school, either through the COVID Test portal or by phone or written notification.
Face masks
Current advice from the Victorian government is available at Face masks.
Staff and students who wish to wear a face mask should be supported to do so, and schools should continue to make face masks available for staff, students and visitors.
The Department of Health recommends that masks should be worn by a person who is a close contact of someone who has tested positive for COVID-19 when leaving home.
Additionally, the Department of Health recommends that masks should be worn by a person who has COVID-19 for at least 7 days after a positive test when they need to leave home.
Infection prevention and control
All staff, students and visitors to schools should practise good hand hygiene, particularly on arrival to school, before and after eating, after blowing their nose, coughing, sneezing or using the toilet. Staff should direct or supervise young students where required.Managing a confirmed case of COVID-19 in schoolsThe Department of Health recommends that a person who tests positive to COVID-19 report that result to their employer, school and household.Where a student or staff member is identified as a positive case, the following steps should be taken: Identification and Notification
- Parents/carers should complete the Student COVID-19 COVID Test Portal if a student tests positive to COVID-19 (via a PCR or rapid antigen test). Where a parent/carer informs the school by phone or written notification.
- Students who report a positive result are recommended to isolate for a minimum of 5 days and not attend school until their symptoms have resolved. Students who isolate as a result of a positive COVID-19 test should be supported in the same way as students with an extended absence due to illness or injury, with learning materials provided to support their continued learning.
- There is no longer a requirement for principals to inform the school community of a positive case associated with the school.